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Cooking With Herbs

by Sister Mildred M.

A small amount of an herb goes along way toward making a good dish even better. A dash of the right one for the right food can enhance flavor and mystify guests as to just what makes it taste so special! Herbs enjoy prominence, too, with those who are on restricted diets such as low salt or reducing diets.

Many herbs are well known yet seldom used, and new satisfaction lies in store for the creative cook willing to experiment with them. Further, if you tend toward a green thumb, you can have the additional pleasure of producing the needed herbs in your window sill.

We want to whet your appetite for herb cookery by giving tips on added uses for commonly used herbs as well as new ideas for those that are more unusual. For example, have you tried allspice in stewed tomatoes, mint in peas, dry mustard in cheese dishes or sage on baked fish?

The first taste of an herb-seasoned dish will seem different; so be careful not to overdo! Use herbs lightly until you heave learned what kinds and amounts suit your family's taste. Start with pinches if need be and work up to 1/4 teaspoon.


ALLSPICE - Ground meats, stews, tomatoes

BASIL - Steaks, hamburgers, lamb, fish and fish cocktail, liver, stews, eggs, cheese dishes, tomatoes, peas, potatoes, squash, green beans, green salads.

BAY LEAVES - Soups, all meats, stews, poultry, meat and fish sauces, tomatoes, carrots.

CHIVES - Soups, fish salads, stews, lemon-butter sauce, omelets, cottage cheese, potatoes, fresh vegetables.

CURRY POWDER - Tomato soup, lamb, chicken, fish, tomatoes.

DILL SEEDS - Soups, fish sauces, meat gravies, meat sauces for spaghetti and macaroni, tomatoes, vegetable salads, turnips.

GARLIC - Soups, all meats, vegetable salads, vegetables.

GINGER (ground or fresh) - All meats, chicken, vegetable salad.

MARJORAM - Soups, veal, lamb, poultry, stews, green beans, carrots, zucchini, peas, spinach.

MINT - Pea soup, meat broth, cottage cheese, potatoes, peas, carrots.

MUSTARD (dry) - Ground meats, sauces, cheese dishes, salads.

NUTMEG - Consomme, cream soups, fish, meats, poultry, game, cottage cheese, eggnog, custard, potatoes, spinach, cauliflower, cabbage.

OREGANO - Tomato soup, bean soup, veal, lamb, hamburger, meat sauces, scrambled eggs, omelets.

PAPRIKA - Soups, meats, fish, stews, sauces, vegetables.

PARSLEY - Soups, all meats, sauces, stuffings, all egg and cheese dishes, salads.

ROSEMARY - Soups, meat loaf, stews, fish, chicken, beef, veal, stuffings, sauces, potatoes, peas, lima beans, spinach, eggs.

SAGE - Meats, stews, meat stuffings, baked fish, poultry, tomatoes, grren beans, green salads, lima beans, onions, egg plant.

SAVORY - Soups, ground meats, stuffings, meat stew, croquettes, baked or brioled fish, scrambled eggs, omelets, green beans, green salads, tomatoes, sauerkraut.

THYME - Tomato soup, meats (especially veal), sauces, pot roasts, egg and cheese dishes, onion, peas, salads, tomatoes.

TURMERIC - Meats, fish, sauces, rice.